Saturday, September 08, 2007

Kawasaki ZZR1400 Turbo: The quest for 320km/h!

A zillion horsepower, and the need to ride faster and faster and faster...

If you aren’t entirely satisfied with your Kawasaki ZZR1400’s 190 horsepower and 300km/h top speed, we can understand. After all, who wouldn’t want a turbocharged, 500bhp ZZR that can outrun a fighter jet? Such a machine would, of course, be the only sensible bike to have.

And that’s where Big CC Racing come in. If you want your ZZR1400 (or any other big Japanese superbike…) fitted with a nitrous-oxide kit and a turbocharger, simply take it to Big CC, hand over the money, and they’ll do the rest. Speaking to Superbike magazine, Sean Miller, who’s been with Big CC Racing for the last 10 years, says, ‘I’m a firm believer of using big turbos. Of course, they give bigger power, but it’s also more controllable. You’re getting more grunt from less boost. Smaller turbos give a smaller powerband and make the bike difficult to manage. With the turbo we use on the ZZR, power is pretty linear and there are no big surprises.’

Big CC Racing will help you unlock the real potential of your big-bore Japanese superbike. After that, however, you're on your own...

Depending on how much money you want to burn, how many friends you have in the local police force and what lawyers / judges join you at the pub on Saturday evenings, Big CC’s turbo kits will boost your ZZR1400’s power output to anywhere between 275 to 500bhp. Cool, but what about turbo lag? Says Sean, ‘Boot the throttle of a turbo car and you’re not going to get an instant reaction, because you’ve got to move maybe two tones of car that isn’t revving particularly hard. Bikes have an advantage in that they weigh a lot less and you’re already on the move. The engine is already doing lots of work, so lag isn’t really a problem!’

The best part is, bikes like the ZZR1400 and the Hayabusa are so well engineered, that engine internals don’t need heavy modification if you intend to go mental with turbos and nitrous. For about US$9,000 of kit, you’re ready to go with a bike that’ll get to 320km/h (200mph) easily and quickly, and still be reliable for daily use. Sold on the idea? Get down to the Big CC website here and start ordering stuff...

It's not just Kawasaki ZZRs, Hayabusa owners are also welcome at Big CC Racing...Here's on-board video from the 2008 Hayabusa's world launch ride at the Salzburgring circuit. John Urry from TWO magazine is riding the bike...